Gatsby And The American Dream

4 Pages 958 Words

A dream is defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as: a strongly desired goal or purpose, something that fully satisfies a wish. In the beginning pages of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway, the narrator of the story gives us a glimpse into Gatsby’s idealistic dream of winning back Daisy Buchanan. That was his main goal in life for five years. It was the only reason he existed. This is comparable to The American Dream, which was the goal of many people back in the 1920’s. Throughout the novel, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald tried to disparage the American Dream by using the three places of residence, West Egg, East Egg, and the Valley of Ashes, and the circumstances by which Jay Gatsby earned his fortune.
The American Dream is a concept that plays a significant role in the novel, The Great Gatsby, which was written by Fitzgerald in the 1920’s. The 1920’s were a time period when many Americans were living the dream. The American Dream embodies the best of America. It is the chance to gain material wealth and spiritual happiness for people who start out with nothing. This is a great example of how Fitzgerald used the The American Dream. Jay Gatsby started from nothing and gained material wealth. But he never got the spiritual happiness because only half of his dream was fulfilled. People from all different countries used to come to America for the chance to turn their hard work into success. The American Dream is the equal opportunity for achievement and happiness. However, instead of showing us how great the dream is, The Great Gatsby shows how society has corrupted it. Fitzgerald used Jay Gatsby’s dream of wanting Daisy Buchanan as a symbol of the The American Dream.
Gatsby’s understanding of the The American Dream was quite different than most people. Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matte...